In this Priestly Year, some twenty Diocesan priests, including our young Fr. Martin, went on pilgrimage to Ars where St. John Vianney, the Patron Saint of parish priests, had served. They will also visit other locations related to St. Theresa, St. Benedict and Taize in France. This journey serves also as a retreat to help them reflect on their priestly vocation. We pray for that this pilgrimage will be a great success. However, due to the shortage of hands, other priests have to work overtime, saying many more masses on Sunday.
This Sunday, a Fr. John Waterspoon came to celebrate two Sunday masses consecutively for us. He has served several parishes in Hong Kong, gone to mainland China for a few years and now working for the homeless in Jordan Road, Kowloon. He is soft-speaking, not a bit dramatic, yet the congregation could hear the warmth in his heart. His Cantonese is fluent enough though sometimes he is confused by the Putonghua he has learnt. He spoke several times "di zhin" which means carpet in Cantonese, instead of "di zhen" earthquake. Perhaps he did it deliberately to arouse our attention and to demonstrate his humility. Though a priest, Fr. John showed us that he is flawed.
In his homily on the gospel reading John 13:31-35 today, he took the Qinghai earthquake to illustrate the new commandment of Jesus.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35)
He named 4 persons related to this earthquake to illustrate Jesus' commandment.
Firstly, of course, it is Mr. Wong Fok Wing who died rescuing school teachers and students in a collapsed school. Though Mr. Wong is not known to be baptized a Christian, Fr. John confirmed that with his selfless heroic act, Mr. Wong is a Christian martyr. He has given up his life to save many lives, thus fulfilling Jesus' commandment. His soul has gained direct entry into heaven and he is now praying in front of God for the benefits of us all.
Secondly, it is an anonymous teacher who was awakened by a minor tremour one hour before the earthquake struck. Without hesitation, he woke everybody up to evacuate to the open ground, thus saving hundreds of lives. He would have returned to his sleep without disturbing the others. If no major earthquake happened, others would blame him for disturbing their sleep. But this teacher ignored the blame others would level against him. His love and care overcame the possible loss of face. He did the right thing.
Thirdly, it is another anonymous business man who helped build an orphanage. While others would build walls with one layer of bricks, he insisted on building a safe house for the orphans. He proved to be right. This orphanage withstood the earthquake, standing tall over the other crumbled buildings. This business man truly loves the orphans.
Lastly, Fr. John mentioned the Chinese Premier Wen Jia Boa. He is always the first to rush to the disaster zones to console the victims. Fr. John believes that Premier Wen does it not for fame, nor for power but for the love of the Chinese underprivileged. Premier Wen is also a Christian at heart.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35)
He named 4 persons related to this earthquake to illustrate Jesus' commandment.
Firstly, of course, it is Mr. Wong Fok Wing who died rescuing school teachers and students in a collapsed school. Though Mr. Wong is not known to be baptized a Christian, Fr. John confirmed that with his selfless heroic act, Mr. Wong is a Christian martyr. He has given up his life to save many lives, thus fulfilling Jesus' commandment. His soul has gained direct entry into heaven and he is now praying in front of God for the benefits of us all.
Secondly, it is an anonymous teacher who was awakened by a minor tremour one hour before the earthquake struck. Without hesitation, he woke everybody up to evacuate to the open ground, thus saving hundreds of lives. He would have returned to his sleep without disturbing the others. If no major earthquake happened, others would blame him for disturbing their sleep. But this teacher ignored the blame others would level against him. His love and care overcame the possible loss of face. He did the right thing.
Thirdly, it is another anonymous business man who helped build an orphanage. While others would build walls with one layer of bricks, he insisted on building a safe house for the orphans. He proved to be right. This orphanage withstood the earthquake, standing tall over the other crumbled buildings. This business man truly loves the orphans.
Lastly, Fr. John mentioned the Chinese Premier Wen Jia Boa. He is always the first to rush to the disaster zones to console the victims. Fr. John believes that Premier Wen does it not for fame, nor for power but for the love of the Chinese underprivileged. Premier Wen is also a Christian at heart.
It is now May, the month of Our Lady. Fr. John ended the Prayer of the Faithful with an Ave Maria to ask for the intercession of our heavenly Mother to help us follow the commandment of her Son. Though it is a bit unusual in this post-Vatican II era, this Marian spirituality surely benefits us a lot.
Dear Lord, Your grace works mysteriously. You have touched the hearts of a lot of anonymous Christians. Let us work hand in hand with them to build up Your glorious Kingdom on earth. Amen.
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